What companies expect from electric trucks and what users actually experience
Transport companies’ expectations and experiences with electric lorries differ from one another
© pvproductions/Magnific.com
Battery-electric trucks are rated significantly more positively by transport companies with practical experience than by those who have not yet gained any first-hand experience. This is shown by a new analysis conducted by Oeko-Institut as part of the ELV-Live research project. For the first time, several surveys carried out between 2021 and 2026 were collated, and the assessments of pioneering electric truck companies were compared with those of the transport sector as a whole.
Expectations and experiences differ substantially
In the new analysis, the expectations of the sector as a whole are systematically compared with the experiences of companies that are already using electric trucks in regular operations. The results reveal a substantial gap between the expectations of many companies and the actual user experiences of companies. At the same time, it becomes clear that companies are at different stages of the transition: whilst pioneering electric truck companies are already gaining experience in operating and expanding their own charging infrastructure, a large part of the sector is still in an early exploratory phase.
Substantial differences in reliability and acceptance
The perception gap is particularly evident when it comes to technical reliability. 39 percent of companies already using electric trucks state that their electric trucks are less prone to faults, or substantially less prone to faults, than comparable conventional vehicles, whilst 32 percent observe no difference between the drive systems. By contrast, across the sector as a whole, 37 percent assume lower reliability, and only nine percent expect higher reliability than with diesel trucks.
A similar picture emerges with a view to acceptance by drivers. Pioneering electric truck companies predominantly report positive experiences and a very high level of satisfaction among their driving staff. Across the sector as a whole, however, only one in ten companies believes that electric trucks are more popular with driving staff than diesel trucks.
Charging infrastructure and energy supply are becoming competitive factors
The surveys show that the challenges are changing as the market matures. In the representative survey of the transport sector, the availability of charging infrastructure is cited more frequently as the main barrier to fleet electrification than the purchase costs of the vehicles. At the same time, it is apparent that many companies currently have only limited knowledge of their own electricity supply: More than half of those surveyed do not know the electricity costs at their depot.
The situation is different for pioneering companies. Around 82 percent of the electricity used to power electric trucks is sourced on-site. Around two-thirds have their own electricity generation capacity, for example through solar panels. As a result, these companies have lower average electricity prices at their depots than companies across the sector as a whole.
The results show that energy supply is increasingly becoming a competitive factor in the cost-effective operation of electric trucks. While many companies are still assessing whether and when to embark on electrification, the pioneers are already addressing issues of energy supply, infrastructure expansion and the cost-effective optimization of electric truck operations.
Battery-electric trucks are establishing themselves as the preferred technology
The analysis reveals a clear shift in the assessment of alternative powertrains. Whilst hydrogen-based concepts were still considered particularly promising in earlier surveys, battery-electric trucks are now regarded by both the industry as a whole and by pioneering companies as the most important alternative to today’s diesel trucks. By comparison, the significance of hydrogen trucks has declined substantially.
“The surveys show that the discussion within the industry has shifted,” says Florian Hacker. “For many companies, the question of which alternative powertrain will prevail in the long term has been settled.”
The studies were carried out as part of the ELV-LIVE project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety under the ‘Erneuerbar mobil’ funding programme.